“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
Things change quickly in twelve months, especially in the world of learning.
Together with our clients here at Oosh, we’ve navigated evolving technologies and we might harness their potential for positive change while guarding against any possible obstacles that may crop up.
So as our minds inevitably gear towards 2024, I’ve revisited our work from this year and pulled out three key takeaways that I believe can shape how the next twelve months might unfold in the world of purpose-driven learning.
Cyber Security Learning Not Training 🔐
Optus and MediBank are only two of many large organisations that have fallen victim to notable cyber security incidents. Almost in real time, I have seen our clients here at Oosh respond by paying increased attention to the need for cyber security training.
The unfolding examples in the public eye revealed to many that it was not a question of if, but rather when, a cybersecurity attack might affect them. Collaborating with our clients, we assisted in elevating their cybersecurity training beyond mere compliance.
The Oosh solution was cyber security learning. Rather than a box ticking exercise - i.e make sure you don’t use the same passwords across all your digital accounts - we encouraged a framework that was more practical and applicable for teams across the board.
What password managers are safe to use?
Should you be saving passwords in browsers?
What is best practice when it comes to password creation?
By placing teams at the heart of this learning, we were able to provide actual detail for people to practically implement in their day to day.
With cyber security a growing concern across all industries, Thomas Naylor (Security Account Director, The Missing Link) emphasises this need for learning – “your technology or IT team can't and shouldn't be the only employees who are vigilant about the security of your organisation and its assets. Cyber security is everyone's responsibility.”
Reimagine Digital Learning Programs 🔮
When the pandemic struck, many organisations found themselves ill prepared for such a seismic change in the way we lived and worked. Their people suddenly had to be trained remotely, without any digital learning systems in place.
Based on need, digital learning programs were hastily assembled and quickly implemented.
Teams were now geographically dispersed and leaders found themselves playing catch up.
Today, a prevailing theme is the tendency of these impromptu learning designs to prioritise content at the expense of connection. Frequently taking the form of learning programs dominated by e-learning and multimedia content, learner feedback consistently reveals that while they grasp the content, individuals experience a sense of disconnection from their peers, managers, and the organisation overall. Not surprisingly, this diminished sense of connection correlates with elevated attrition rates.
In response to this, we’ve worked with our clients here at Oosh to evolve their learning offering beyond merely digital through a process I call trimming and pruning.
Embedding with their teams, we’ve used human centred design to identify what works and what doesn’t. This involved selecting appropriate learning technologies; redeveloping programs to be more balanced in terms of connection and content; and creating a sense of belonging within organisations for induction training and on-boarding.
A 2019 study found that human interaction within workplace blended learning "linked with more active behavioural engagement, higher cognitive engagement and stronger and more positive emotional engagement than where human interaction was absent."
This is why I believe that while a digital-first approach can be effective for certain content or situations, it may not always be the optimal solution, particularly in the context of connected learning.
So when you’re reevaluating your workplace learning programs, it is important to truly consider all the factors that impact a learner’s physical and digital experience.
Move Beyond The AI Hype 🤖
ChatGPT. MidJourney. DALL-E. Generative artificial intelligence is all the rage. But as many watch and wait to see the impact these technologies will have, I’ve been particularly intrigued by those that have set about to familiarise themselves with a new frontier.
Similarly at Oosh, we’ve been exploring how the creative potential of AI can be harnessed within our own processes. The key learning?
Language matters.
The temptation is to communicate with generative AI in a dumbed down way. Choppy short words. Easy Phrasing. Stilted prompting. Like it’s a version of Google Search.
Dr. Lance B. Eliot, a world-renowned expert on Artificial Intelligence (AI), believes that this limits the true value of generative AI. Instead, using language that is natural to you will improve not only the results produced, but your ongoing experience with the technology too.
“There is though a sense of relief that you can avoid baby talk and almost carry on everyday conversational ins and outs with generative AI. Advances in GenAI will continue to improve this capability.
“The amount of fluency will increasingly be amazing and startling…”
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And there you have it! My three takeaways across our year here at Oosh.
Did any resonate with you? Have you got some of your own?
Let me know in the comments below.
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